"He will leave the club in January. There are clubs interested from England, Italy and Germany,” Montoya’s agent Juan de Dios Carrasco was reported as saying by the Independent.

Over the past month, however, Montoya has been given more game-time by boss Luis Enrique and started two La Liga encounters plus the Copa Del Rey match on Thursday.

Whether this was the Catalans’ idea of trying to keep the player happy throughout the January transfer window remains to be seen, but their transfer embargo means they can’t really afford to lose anyone.

Nonetheless, Montoya’s agent Carrasco concedes that his client’s recent involvement in the first-team hasn’t altered his mind and that he still wishes to leave the club this month.

“He has played four matches since we last communicated, and we are glad. But we want to speak correspondingly, the situation hasn’t changed,” he explained to Diario Sport.

Tom Thorogood

I'm a 27 year old language teacher and writer based out in Mexico with a passion for football and swimming. I like to focus on the top European Leagues, especially La Liga, as well as the footballing development in Central and South America. My favourite teams include Derby County, Barcelona and Jagaures de Chiapas.